Nightmare
by Horsegirljen10
Summary: When Ryo decided to take Bikky in Dee was less than enthusiastic, but not just because of the boy's teasing. Bikky was getting everything from Ryo that Dee wanted for himself, and coming to terms with that was proving difficult. DeexRyo
1. Solution

I haven't written a fic in literally five years, when my writing skills were understandably lacking because of my age. I hope this one is a little better! XD

All characters belong to Sanami Matoh, a very talented manga-ka!

* * *

"Ryo?" Dee called into his partner's apartment, having taken the liberty of letting himself in using the spare key which was very poorly hidden. After going home and taking a shower, Dee had found that he had absolutely nothing to do and had decided to go bother Ryo instead of just laying around his apartment. Smiling to himself, he admitted that he didn't have to be bored to want to bother his partner. Ryo always emitted such satisfying noises when he was surprised or annoyed, and Dee thought it was very endearing.

Walking casually into the kitchen, Dee took off his shoes and left them on the mat next to Ryo's pair. There was also a beat up pair of sneakers, Bikky's, that had been tossed in the general area of the mat. Dee smirked, wondering how Ryo was getting by with a child in the house. He knew that Ryo liked to keep things just so, and after spending half of his life at the orphanage Dee also knew that doing so was virtually impossible when there were children present.

Bikky's arrival at Ryo's apartment had certainly surprised Dee, although now he could look back and see all of the clues that would lead Ryo to end up fostering Bikky. At the station the young boy had taken to Ryo immediately. (Who wouldn't, Dee thought to himself, a grin working its way onto his face. There was so much to like.) Despite his goody two-shoes act for his partner, Dee could easily tell that there was something darker lurking below the surface. The kid was a little terror, and had certainly made it known that he was out for Dee's blood if he tried anything funny with Ryo. His antics, Dee had to admit, were similar to how he had acted when he was a teenager, before he finally got his shit together and made something of his life.

When Ryo offered to watch Bikky for the night, Dee didn't give it a second thought except to curse for a moment the fact that he wouldn't be able to try anything that night. It seemed like a harmless action, but little did Dee know that Bikky's sleep over would cement in Ryo's mind the idea of watching out for the kid permanently, of offering his apartment and company as a permanent setting for Bikky. Dee could see know that it was a natural progression; there had always been a deep, lonely look in Ryo's eyes that resurfaced once and a while, one that Dee wished he had the power to make go away but knew that they weren't at that point in their relationship, or friendship, or whatever this was between them, to do that yet. Of course Bikky took that look away. Ryo hadn't mentioned his family yet, and Dee got the feeling that they weren't in close contact. Bikky had filled that domestic role: he was a son, and a younger brother, and a friend to Ryo whenever he needed it.

It was hard to admit, and made him feel like a child, but Dee had always been painfully aware of when he was jealous of what someone else had that he wanted. And right now Bikky had everything that Dee wanted, absolutely everything. Love, friendship, a home; Dee was sure that the kid couldn't possibly know how lucky he was that Ryo found him. Biting back resentment before it turned into anger, Dee continued his search through Ryo's apartment, walking through the living room and towards the two bedroom doors, right next to each other, on one end of the room. He saw Ryo then, standing in the doorway of Bikky's room, silently watching; Dee couldn't see what was holding his attention. Ryo was facing into the room but Dee knew that he must've heard him come in. Closing the distance between them in mere seconds, a compulsion he always felt whenever he and Ryo were alone together in a room, Dee leaned against Ryo for a couple seconds, saying, "I found you, Ryo."

"Shh," Ryo replied, smiling quickly at the sight of Dee before quickly making an attempt at hiding his happiness. Dee never missed those smiles, no matter how well Ryo covered them up once he realized he was making them. Ryo turned his attention back to Bikky's room and Dee looked too, curious as to what had caught Ryo's eye.

Bikky was asleep in his bed on the left side of the room, but it was apparent that his slumber was anything but peaceful. The boy was kicking at his sheets, his face scrunched up and his whole body tense. Whatever Bikky was seeing in his head, it looked like one hell of a nightmare. Thinking that Ryo wasn't sure what he should do about the situation, Dee said, "It's best to wake him up from it. That way the dream'll be over and he'll see you before going back to sleep." It was as close to charity as Dee was ever going to get. Even as he said the words they stung in his chest. He knew that Ryo loved Bikky already, but having to mention the love between them out loud caused the jealousy inside of him to rear up once again.

Ryo gave him a funny look before shaking his head. "He had one at the beginning of the week, too. I woke him up and it kind of freaked him out. Then in the morning he was really quiet, like he was embarrassed that I knew he was having them."

It was obvious why Bikky would be having nightmares; after losing his father and then being targeted, kidnapped, and held hostage because of his father's lifestyle it was more than understandable the a sane person would undergo a little temporary trauma. Dee could break it down like a case and explain it all away, but to him the more interesting part of this situation was how Ryo was acting.

Dee couldn't help but laugh, causing Ryo to jerk sharply from watching Bikky to examine his partner's expression. "You're a dad already," Dee said. "You take in some punk for two weeks and you're already watching over him in his sleep." Inside Dee was in disbelief at this realization, hell, he was bordering on shock. If it was so easy for Ryo to get close to Bikky, who did he have such a hard time opening up more for him? At first he would've thought that it was simply the prospect of starting a gay relationship, but lately Dee was starting to think that there was more going on inside of Ryo than just issues of sexuality. He didn't know enough about his partner to make any connections, but that fact that something was there made him itch to find out what it was. Ryo flushed at his comment, which was cute when he was embarrassed but a little frightening when he was angry, Dee mused.

"Bikky isn't just some punk!" Ryo whispered angrily. "I swear, Dee, you bring all of this trouble you have with him on yourself when you think about him like that. No wonder he's always fighting with you if that's all you think of him!" He looked straight into Dee's eyes, almost daring him to disagree. Dee knew that Ryo could only look at him that intensely when he was mad about something. At any other time he was all about glances and blushes and shifting eyes, which were nice but hid so much of his true character.

"That's not what I meant," Dee said. He really hadn't meant to make what he had said sound like it did, but he knew he would have to choose his words carefully to fully make up for his slip-up. "I meant that after two weeks it's clear how much you care about him, but I've been your partner for two months now and I still have no idea how much you care about me." Dee wasn't used to sounding so honest, and in unnerved him a little. But he had noticed in the past that Ryo appreciated honesty, even when it made him uncomfortable.

"Dee…" Ryo managed, clearly caught off guard by how revealing Dee was being. Without thinking he was suddenly replaying the images from a few weeks prior, when Dee had yelled at him that he never wanted to be patronized again, that kiss that had left him weak and drained.

"So, sorry," Dee finished. "And I think I can end Bikky's nightmare. Get out of the doorway," He asked. Once Ryo was out of the line of sight from any place in the room he too shifted to the side. Snaking his hand into the bedroom, he flicked on the light for a few seconds. Brightness flooded the room, and Bikky shifted quickly before sitting all of the way up in bed. Once Dee had seen the boy wake up he shut the light off again, leaving Bikky's brain to briefly ponder why he was awake before giving up and surrendering to sleep once more.


	2. Dare

The first chapter of my first endeavor into fan fiction in more than five years was very meditative and thoughtful. So I decided to go and destroy that by turning this fic into a tripe, overdone FAKE fanfic situation! Yay! I swear, I'll get back to the thoughtful stuff later on in their game. I sweeeaaaarrrr….

I don't own FAKE or its characters. They belong to Sanami Matoh; I am forever grateful to her for creating them.

* * *

Dee and Ryo both watched silently as Bikky fell into a more peaceful sleep, and then Dee walked away from the door and back into the living room, Ryo following close behind.

"So, what did you come over for?" Ryo asked, after they had sat down next to each other on the couch. Dee could clearly hear the nervousness in Ryo's voice now that they were alone together, and he had to hold back a snort of laughter. Ryo was constantly guarding himself from his own feelings, and Dee was almost positive that it wasn't just because he was afraid to start a relationship with another man.

"Oh, nothing," Dee said, still trying to hold back his laughter. A snicker escaped, though, and he watched as Ryo's gaze turned icy. "Really! I just got off of work and had nothing to do. This visit was a product of sheer boredom."

"Heh, yeah right, Dee. You've been king ulterior motive lately," Ryo muttered. Dee was surprised that Ryo was talking about their relationship (or lack thereof, Dee admitted bitterly) at all. He didn't think that the other man had it in him. Realizing that he may have stumbled on a prime opportunity to get Ryo to open up about himself, Dee scrambled to find something to ask him. Then a brilliant thought struck him.

"Hey, Ryo, I have a great idea." Dee said, ignoring the title that Ryo had given him. He also ignored Ryo's eye roll. "You ask me a question about anything, and I have to tell the truth. But as a reward, I get to ask you one back. Whoever refuses to answer first looses." For a moment Dee felt tense with anticipation, hoping that Ryo would have enough in him to humor the request.

"Of all the stupid things to do at ten o'clock at night," Ryo started, then got up and walked into the kitchen. A small tide of disappointment washed over Dee; he really had been looking foreword to learning more about Ryo, and he thought that the idea of a competition would be enough to get his partner into it as well.

"Right, whatever," Dee said. He had tried to sound casual but he could hear his voice giving him away. Ryo had left the room without giving a reason, and Dee hoped that it wasn't because he had just wanted to be away from him. "What the hell are you doing in there?" Dee asked.

The sound of the coffee machine starting filled Ryo's apartment and ended the small silence that had lapsed between the two men. Ryo lean against the doorframe of the kitchen and said, "I'm making coffee. I'm sure this is going to take us a while, because I'm not going to let you win so easily."

Dee laughed out loud, half out of surprise and half out of relief. Ryo was always doing things like this, surprising him, saying encouraging or funny things when Dee least expected him to. It was one of Ryo's most endearing qualities. That and the blushing, of course. That was just goddamn sexy. "Oh yeah?" He asked, chuckling maniacally. "I'm going to kick your ass at this game."

At the sight of Dee's dedication to the challenge Ryo laughed, then said, "While the coffee's brewing I'm going to change into pajamas. Do you want me to bring you some to borrow?" He began to walk back towards his bedroom, but paused before the door, waiting for Dee's answer.

"Oh, so now you want me to stay over? Finally!" Dee exclaimed, knowing full well that that wasn't what Ryo had meant. He watched as Ryo stiffened visibly, his face flushing with that special brand of anger and embarrassment. "Kidding, kidding," Dee corrected himself, knowing not to push things to far or else incur Ryo's wrath. "Yeah, some sweats would be great," He finished, then watched as Ryo walked quickly into his bedroom, his feet making a determined tamp-tamp-tamping sound against the floor. Amazingly, Dee was able to contain the urge to sneak into his partner's private quarters and surprise him with a tackle. There were more important things at hand, namely getting some facts out about that man he had recently become infatuated with, a man who also happened to be very private and almost secretive.

In a moment Ryo had returned, now wearing a loose, white t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. In his hand was a darker pair for Dee. As he handed them over Dee wondered whether or not he should go into the bathroom to change. He didn't see the big deal; they were both guys and it's not like he was getting naked or anything, but he wondered if Ryo would feel the same way. Deciding to screw it, he stood up to pull off his jeans and put on the sweatpants over his blue boxers. Folding the jeans carelessly and putting them next to him on the couch, he looked back at Ryo and found him watching idly, seemingly not too embarrassed by the show he had just received. He handed Dee one of the mugs of coffee he had gotten, took a sip of his own, and said, "Okay, let's do this." There was a look of determination mostly hidden on his face, but Dee couldn't help but pick up on it. Uh-oh, he thought, sniper Ryo had been activated.

"You first," Dee said, trying to maintain his confidence. He told himself that Ryo probably wouldn't be able to think of too many questions that he wouldn't want to answer, but a little flicker of worry rose inside of him.

"What's your favorite color?" Ryo asked, seemingly without any prior thought. Dee was caught off guard, of all the questions he could've asked, why such a simple one. He concluded that Ryo was trying to put him at some sort of ease, like they did when they were interrogating clients. The first questions were always simple and easily answered; they made the suspect more likely to open up about more serious questions.

Smirking at his masterful deductive reasoning skills, Dee replied, "Black. Everyone always looks good in black, no matter what. It's a very sexy color."

"It does look nice on a lot of people," Ryo agreed calmly. "Okay, your turn."

Dee took a moment to choose his question; there were many he wanted to ask. The whole reason he had started the game was to ask Ryo one question in particular, but he knew that it had to be saved until the very last, until they had both opened up a little. It may have been trickery, but this mock truth or dare was the only way Dee could think of to get Ryo to talk about the things he wanted to know. "Okay," He said, pausing for a little added tension. Ryo seemed unfazed. "When you were a little kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?"

A small laugh worked its way out of Ryo and he said, "I think first I wanted to be a doctor, until I realized that it involved cutting people open. And people actually dying. Kind of ironic, though, now I see dead people much more often even that if I had become a doctor." As he had spoken a look had come across his face, a pained expression that disappeared once he got into what he was saying. Dee noticed it, though. He had been memorizing every word that had escaped his partner's lips since they had been assigned together, and expressions were no different. "My turn," Ryo said, taking a minute to think. "Which did you like first, men or women?" He asked.

Dee was taken aback by the directness of the question; the very though that Ryo could say such a thing without dissolving into a mad blush impressed him. He had forgotten that Ryo was taking this seriously, though. Somehow he had opened the Pandora's Box that was Ryo Maclean's competitive side, and although he was enjoying the show he hoped that his friendly, airheaded partner would come back eventually. He answered, "Women first, they were a lot easier to get into relationships with. Men came later, but it wasn't like I was suddenly attracted to them. Both sides were there from the start." It wasn't a particularly hard question, mostly because Dee didn't have to provide any of the details of his first encounters and attractions. He braced himself, though, if this game went on for long he would have to be prepared to share other details like them. And some definitely still stung even after years.


End file.
